Hyaluronic acid derivative and neural stem cells for SCI and PNT regeneration

A method of regenerating nervous fibers in spinal cord or in peripheral nerve injury, said method comprising:

• a) preparing a three-dimensional parallel non-woven fiber scaffold comprising a biodegradable hyaluronic acid ester, wherein the scaffold fibers are spatially-oriented along the longitudinal axes of regenerating nervous fibers;
• b) submerging said scaffold into a coating solution capable of promoting Adult Neuronal Stem Cells adhesion, branching, proliferation and differentiation;
• c) contacting said coated scaffold obtained from step b) with Adult Neuronal Stem Cells, wherein Adult Neuronal Stem Cells are adhered onto said coated scaffold;
• and
• d) culturing and expanding adhered cells in the presence of growth or neurotrophic factors selected from bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor), CNTF (ciliary neurotrophic factor), BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) and GDNF (glial derived neurotrophic factor) or mixtures thereof for 2 days in vitro before the implantation;
• e) preparing the implant site;
• f) implanting the cell scaffold obtained from steps a-d) at the injury site prepared in step e);
• g) covering the implanted cell scaffold with a lamina or a tube to isolate the regeneration site from the surrounding tissues;
• h) suturing or sealing the implanted cell scaffold to the host tissue with fibrin glue, wherein said cell scaffold promotes the regeneration of said nervous fibers in spinal cord or in peripheral nerve injury.